PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – They are normally on the front lines fighting the winter storms, but Public Works crews have been threatening to hit the picket lines instead.

Simply put, Teamsters Local 249 says its members will not be out plowing the roads tomorrow if they don’t get a contract.

However, Tuesday evening, officials said the two sides had reached a tentative deal.

Many wondered, are those roads going to be covered with ice and snow Wednesday morning or are they going to be cleared by the county’s workers?

Representatives from Allegheny County and representatives of the Teamsters Local 249 had been meeting at a state mediator’s office since 10:30 a.m.

The union workers will still need to vote on the deal Saturday, but won’t be picketing as a rain, snow mix is expected overnight. The details of the deal have not been released.

They are tried to iron out their differences and the issues that led to the standoff.

Union representatives say they represent some 50 workers and they are, for the most part, plow and salt truck drivers.

Collectively, they cover about 640 lane miles of road.

They say the big issues in the contracts have been wages and health care issues.

The Teamsters say they don’t want to put the public at risk, but they say after 14 months, without a contract, they want a new one and they want it now.

“We are not asking for any more than anybody else in the county got. Give us the same wage increases that the other unions got back in the spring and we will be there to salt the roads Wednesday,” Teamsters Local 249 President Joseph Rossi Jr. said.
Listen to Rossi on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA:

“Public safety is our highest concern and it’s paramount. We have significant salt supplies and we will do whatever it takes to plow and salt the streets for the citizens,” Allegheny County Manager William McKain said.

The county says rest assured, the road are going to be cleared and they are going to be taking care of them.